Suspect in teenager's murder killed in CCD encounter in Sahiwal

SAHIWAL: A suspect allegedly involved in the abduction and murder of a 19-year-old shepherd was killed in an alleged encounter with the Crime Control Department (CCD) in Sahiwal, police said on Monday.

According to police, the deceased suspect, Zulqarnain, was the prime accused in the case of 19-year-old Muhammad Imran, who was kidnapped and killed about a month ago.

According to police, Muhammad Imran was grazing his eight buffaloes in the fields on June 1 when he was abducted by robbers. The suspects murdered him before fleeing with the livestock.

Police arrested Zulqarnain and handed him over to CCD for investigation.

CCD officials said Zulqarnain had been taken into custody and was being escorted to recover the murder weapon, a knife, when he allegedly escaped from police custody despite being handcuffed.

However, police said that late Sunday night, the CCD team signalled three motorcyclists to stop near Noor Kay Kathia. Instead of stopping, the suspects allegedly opened fire on the police party, triggering an exchange of gunfire that lasted between eight to ten minutes.

Sargodha child murder case: Suspect Arslan killed in CCD encounter

After the firing, police found Zulqarnain dead in nearby fields, while his two alleged accomplices managed to escape.

A search operation has been launched to apprehend the fleeing suspects, while further investigations are underway.

Earlier, on Jun 24, 2026, in the sexual assault and murder case of young Muntaha Zahra, the main suspect, Muhammad Arslan, was killed in an encounter with the Punjab Police’s Crime Control Department (CCD) on Wednesday.

According to CCD officials, the encounter took place near Jhal Chakian Teen Pul in Sargodha while the suspect was being taken to recover evidence related to the case.

Officials said that Arslan’s accomplices suddenly opened fire on the CCD team. The police retaliated, and during the exchange of fire, the main suspect, Muhammad Arslan, was killed on the spot.